Draft-alarm for railway-cars.



L. T. CANFIELD.

DRAFT ARM FOR RAILWAY cARs.

APPLICATlON FILED AUG.23| 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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a see LEWIS T. CANFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN GGRPORATIGN OF I FATE i li@s DEAFT ARIH FOB BAI LV AY-CARS.

Application filed August 23, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Lewis T. CANFIELD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Draftdlrms for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to draft arms particularly adapted for use in the reconstruction orv strengthening of freight cars having wooden sills. Its object is to provide greater strength and rigidity than has heretofore been attained, to provide improved means for supporting the draft arm from the car sills; and to provide means for strengthening the connection between the center and end sills of the car.

One form of embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail plan view of the underframing of the car; Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section thereof, showing the outer face of one of the center sills and one of the draft arms; Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 83 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken, respectively, on the lines H and 55 of Fig. 2.

The center sills of a car are represented at 10, 10, and the end sill at 11, all of these sills being shown as of wood. The draft arm formed of metal, generally designated by the numeral 12, may extend from or its front end constitute the bumper plate, to a point considerably in the rear of the body bolster. It is provided with a horizontal flange 13, and a vertical flange 14, one seated against the bottom of the center sill and the other against one of its side faces, the device beingshown as designed to fit against the inside face of the sill. Itis further provided with a flange depending from the flange 13, and carrying suitable draft and bufling shoulders 16, 17. The flange 13 is upwardly offset to form a transverse recess 18 to receive the upper member of. a plate bolster, the offset being gained into the sill,

and the flange 15 is shown as projecting b'ackwardly a suiiicient distance to enter be tween the bolster members, not shown,its rearward end being offset downwardly to accommodate the top plate of a bolster.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Serial No.

Keys or ribs 19 are formed across the face or faces of one or both of the flanges 13, 11, shown as applied to the flange 13, and are adapted to be gained into the sill 10, and, together with the offset 18 and the bolts 20 by means of which the draft arm is attached t the sill, transmit to the latter the stresses of draft and buff.

A flange 21 rises from the outer edge of the flange 13, and spans the recess 18, its function being to increase the strength of the draft arm in line with the body bolster, and it is of special value as compensating for the reduction in the strength of the sill due to the formation, in its lower face, of the gain for receiving the offset portion of the arm.

A yoke preferably made of boiler plate, extends over the forward ends of the sills 10, 10, and is attached to the draft arms by suitable bolts or rivets, as shown at 23, 24., and for convenience of attachment each of the arms may be provided with a depending ing 25, 26, at the outer margin of the flange 13. For the purpose of supplementing the bolts or rivets the ends of the depending arms of the yoke are preferably turned inwardly to form gibs 30, 31, snugly fitting against the lower edges of the lugs 25, 26. The transverse member of the yoke 22 is provided with a forwardly projecting lip 27, which extends over the upper face of the end sill 11, preferably being of sufficient extent to take the bolts 32 which secure the draft arms to this sill.

The yoke 22 forms a substantial tie for uniting the two center sills and the two draft arms; it forms a support for the draft arms independently of the attaching bolts 20, and by reason of its forwardly projecting lip ties together the center and end sills so as to prevent their vertical separation, and it generally contributes to the strength and rigidity of the entire underframing of the car. While thus substantially increasing the efiiciency of the draft arms, the yoke, being a detachable member, permits of the ready assembling of the parts and of the removal of the draft arms from the car when necessary in making repairs. in some instances it may be found desirable to locate one or more additional yokes, as 28, 29, back of the yoke 22.

I claim as my invention 1. In a draft arm, in combination, a pair of metal beams adapted for attachment to the center sills of a car, and a yokeadapted to pass over the sills and having its ends hooked under the beams.

2. In a draft arm, in combination, a pair of metal beams adapted for attachmentwto the center sills of a car,and a yoke adapted to pass over the sills and having its ends attached one to each of the beams, such yoke having a lateral lip adapted to engage over the endsill of the car.

In a draft arm, in combination, a pair 01"? metal beams adapted for attachment to the center sills of a car, and a yoke adapted to pass over the sills and having its ends at- .tachedone to each of the beams, such yoke having a lateral lip adapted to engage over the end sill of the car and to receive bolts attaching it. thereto.

.4. In a. draft arm, in combination, a pair of metal beams adapted for attachment to the center sills of a car, and a plurality of .yokes in the form of integral straps adapt- -ed;topass over the sills and having their ends hooked under and attached directly one to each of the beams.

the beam LEWIS-T.' CANFIELD.

Copies .oLthispatentmay be obtained .for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ot fatents,

' Washington, D. C. 

